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Launched in 1998, the Red Hook Youth Court trains local teenagers to serve as jurors, judges and attorneys, handling real-life cases involving their peers. The goal of the Court is to use positive peer pressure to ensure that young people who have committed minor offenses pay back the community and receive the help they need to avoid further involvement in the justice system. Part of the Red Hook Community Justice Center, the Youth Court handles cases involving young people, ages 10 to 18, who have been cited for low-level offenses, such as vandalism, fare evasion, assualt and truancy. These are cases that typically receive "YD cards," a police notation that results in neither sanctions nor links to social services. Thanks to a partnership with the New York City Police Department, officers in Brooklyn's 72nd, 76th and 78th precincts refer youth who have admitted their guilt to the Youth Court, where they go before a true jury of their peers. |
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After receiving referrals… a Youth Court staff member speaks with each young person and his/her parents to explain the Youth Court and assign a hearing date. Hearings, which take place in the evenings, are open to the public.
Before a hearing… the youth meet with a social worker to explain and offer services throughout the Community Justice Center. The youth then meets with his/her “Youth Advocate,” a young person who performs a role similar to a defense attorney. During the hearing, the youth tells his/her story and is questioned by members of the jury. Unlike a traditional court, the youth has opportunities to speak throughout the hearing. After considering all of the information, the jury decides on a fair and appropriate sanction that holds the youth accountable and restores harm done to the community. All participants and observers are required to take an oath of confidentiality at the start of the hearing.
The Youth Court incorporates the following features:
Accountability: The Youth Court holds young people accountable for their actions by requiring them to pay back the community for their crimes. Sanctions include community service, letters of apology, essays or skill building workshops on topics like conflict resolution and goal setting. Youth Court staff work closely with respondents to ensure that they complete sanctions as mandated.
Access to Help: Adult staff members are responsible for making an initial clinical assessment of each Youth Court respondent and link them to appropriate social services. Some services, such as conflict resolution workshops, may also be part of a respondent’s sanctions. Youth can also be linked to job training and after school programs so they can avoid further disciplinary action in their schools and communities.
Peer Leadership: To ensure that respondents are judged by a true cross section of their peers, Youth Court members—ranging from 14 to 18 years old—are not “creamed" from the top of their classes. Participants are drawn from a variety of local high schools and community based organizations. There is no minimum grade point average nor is any previous experience required for participation. Young people who have previously had a case with the Youth Court are strongly encouraged to apply. Participants receive 30 hours of pre-service training on critical thinking, precision questioning, active listening and youth court protocols. In addition, they participate in on-going, intensive youth development and team-building activities to help cultivate their leadership skills.
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The Youth Court hears cases two evenings a week at the Red Hook Community Justice Center. The Court conducts 2-3 hearings each evening, for an average of more than 139 cases each year. Compliance with Youth Court sanctions in 2005 was solid: over 91 percent of respondents complete their sanctions as ordered. Since spring 1998, young offenders at the Youth Court have contributed over 570 hours of community service to the neighborhood and over 289 young people have been trained to serve as judges, jurors and advocates.
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FEATURED PUBLICATION
Kids, Courts and Communities: Lessons from the Red Hook Youth Court
By David Anderson
A comprehensive look at a youth court in Brooklyn, including program structure, lessons learned, challenges and snapshots of real court cases.
download PDF version | |
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